Bio: I was born in Cuba and raised in Miami. I did my graduate work
at the University of Utah; specializing in Mexican American History.
Since my arrival at TTU, I have developed another speciality, US
sports history. This work, although focusing on Mexican Americans,
also includes a great deal of research on other Hispanics who live
in the American West.

Abstact:

"Experimental Hearths and the Thermal
Alteration of Caliche on the Southern High Plains"

Bio: Dr. Johnson, working at the Landmark since 1972, has developed
the interdisciplinary research program and public programs
associated with the Landmark. She has published widely on the
research and interpretation of the site, received numerous grants,
and given innumerable public talks across the region. The Landmark s
regional research program, while focusing on the Southern High
Plains, stretches throughout the grasslands of the Americas,
including the Northeastern prairie, valley of Mexico, and the pampas
of Argentina.

Abstact: Throughout the Holocene, caliche has been a ubiquitous
technological resource for the people of the Southern High Plains.
Archaeological sites often contain thermal features that appear to
utilize caliche in various cultural processes. Thermal alteration
variables of caliche are examined from an actualistic perspective,
utilizing previously excavated feature geometry and local caliche
outcrops. Results indicate that intense heating of caliche causes
significant, but variable, structural transformations at the
specimen level. The experimental use of shallow basin hearths
demonstrates that hearth structures were easily capable of achieving
and sustaining temperatures that would result in the physical
alteration of individual caliche nodules.

Abstract: Bison remains are a common and important component of many
North American archaeological and paleontological sites.
Interpretations of bison remains, however, often are hampered by the
inability to determine sex reliably in this dimorphic taxon.
Metapodials are among the most common bison element recovered in
archaeological assemblages, but have proven difficult to sex. The
methods currently in use to estimate sex range from those using only
bivariate plots and ratios of various metapodial measurements to
those using discriminant function analysis. Each method has
advantages and disadvantages, with no one method producing certain,
unambiguous results. The designation of sex in borderline specimens
remains uncertain in all current methods and must be determined
subjectively. By reducing data through the use of ratios, the
current bivariate methods fail to make full use of the size
variation present between male and female bison. The requirements of
discriminant function analysis likewise limit this method’s utility
for sexing metapodials, particularly for assemblages containing
small sample sizes. The use of principal component analysis
utilizing several of the most dimorphic, commonly measured variables
produces a more confident assessment of sex for both complete and
partial specimens of modern bison metapodials.

"Bleed into Me: A Book of Stories"

Stephen Jones, Associate Professor in English

Bio: Born down in Midland. M.A. from North Texas, PhD from Florida
State. Five books so far; the latest is "Demon Theory."

Abstact: Jones, an English professor and Blackfoot author with
three novels to his credit, here brings his stinging commentary to
16 stories, each one illuminating a small part of what it's like to
be an Indian in contemporary America. In one bittersweet tale, two
white kids mistake an Indian's red pickup for their uncle's as they
hop in for the trip to school. Not-so-subtle prejudice runs high as
everyone he encounters in his role as unwilling abductor presumes
his guilt. Drugs and alcohol infuse many stories, some ending
tragically in their portrayal of the harsh realities of life on and
just off the reservation. The concluding story, "Discovering
America," brilliantly encapsulates the whole collection, as a young
man writing a play travels from Florida to Arkansas, Texas, and New
Mexico. Guilty of "Driving While Indian," he is greeted with
suspicious glances, called "Chief," and asked if he has "scalped
anybody today." Jones' sardonic tale reveals the sort of casual
stereotyping and prejudice that never seems to disappear.

Bio: Dr. Justice completed his Ph.D. in political science at Texas
Tech in 2004. He has several published articles and numerous
conference papers on comparative cultural identity and voting
behavior.

Abstact: Ireland and Northern Ireland’s Sinn Féin and
the Spanish Basque Country’s Herri Batasuna are two radical
nationalist parties alleged to be tied to terrorist organizations.
The leaderships of both parties deny being officially attached to
such groups, although their partisan rhetoric supports their violent
activities. Using a series of logistical regression models, I find
that the electorates that support these parties have less confidence
in democratic institutions than supporters of more moderate
nationalist parties. True to their postmaterialist leanings, all of
the moderate and radical nationalist parties on Ireland and in the
Spanish Basque region have electorates willing to engage in
unconventional political behavior at some level. However, the
radical parties electorates are willing to use illegal and even
destructive forms, whilst the moderate nationalists are not.

Bio: Miles A. Kimball has published articles on the history of
technical communication, especially the development of information
graphics; on Web portfolios and other tools for electronic pedagogy
(such as his book, "The Web Portfolio Guide," Longman 2003); and on
visual design and visual rhetoric. His second book, "Document
Design: A Guide for Technical Communicators," will be published in
2007 from Bedford/St. Martins.

Abstact: Surveying trends in the e-portfolio boom, this article
relates the development of database portfolio systems to portfolio
pedagogy. As the market for enterprise-level database systems has
grown, portfolio has become a term used to describe systems from
assessment initiatives to institutional portals to academic records
management tools. The article first discusses central concepts of
portfolio pedagogy, the surveys the development of the boom in
enterprise database systems and chronicles prominent trends in those
systems. Finally, the article makes recommendations for realigning
database portfolio systems with portfolio pedagogy, and calls for
greater involvement of scholars in the development of database
portfolios.

Abstact: Examining two cases of
technical documentation occurring outside of institutions, this
article uses a framework derived from Michel de Certeau's
distinction between strategies and tactics and Robert Johnson's
concept of the user-as-producer. I analyze communities surrounding
Muir's How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive A Manual of Step by Step
Procedures for the Compleat Idiot and Champion's Build Your Own
Sports Car for as Little as 250. These communities engage in
tactical technical communication, especially in the form of
technological narratives that participate in broader cultural
narratives about technology.

"Brauer Type Embedding Problems"

Arne Ledet, Assistant Professor in Mathematics

Bio: I received my Ph.D. degree from the University of Copenhagen
(Denmark) in 1996. I then had various postdoctoral positions in
Canada, the US, and Japan, before coming to Texas Tech as an
assistant professor in mathematics in 2002.

Abstact: The book is concerned with a special type of Galois
theoretical embedding problems, which is an area of Inverse Galois
Theory. Inverse Galois Theory can in turn be loosely described as
dealing with the construction of polynomials (or equivalent
quantities) with prescribed properties as regards the behavior of
their roots (i.e., the points where they assume the value zero).
Using embedding problems to attack this question amounts to
constructing the quantities stepwise, with each step being (one
hopes) relatively easy.

"Perchlorate occurrence in the Texas
southern high plains aquifer system"

Tom Lehman, Associate Professor in Geosciences

Abstact: In the spring of 2002, the
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality determined that
perchlorate (ClO4-) was present in the ground water from the
McMillan and Paul Davis well fields that supply potable water for
the city of Midland. Researchers began a large-scale sampling
program to determine the source(s) and distribution of perchlorate
in the area’s ground water. This document summarizes the findings of
a large-scale investigation in nine counties carried out from July
to December 2002. This program included public water systems (PWS)
wells and private wells in Andrews, Borden, Dawson, Ector, Gaines,
Glasscock, Howard, Martin, and Midland counties, which occupy a
total area of 23,960 km2. Water samples were tested for perchlorate
and a suite of common ions. From a total of 254 wells sampled in
nine counties, 179 wells (70%) had detectable perchlorate
concentrations (>0.5 ppb) and 88 wells (35%) had perchlorate
concentrations equal to or above 4 ppb. The highest perchlorate
concentration found at a private well was 58.8 ppb in Dawson County,
while the highest concentration detected for a well in PWS was 45.6
ppb in city of Midland, Midland County. Perchlorate positively
correlated (α < 0.0001) with Cl-, F-, Br-, SO42-, Mg2+, and K+ but
not with NO2-, NO3-, NA+, or Ca+. Research to date has identified
the most likely sources to be (1) a natural mineralogical impurity;
(2) agricultural fertilizers containing perchlorate; (3) in situ
generation of perchlorate by electrochemical reactions; or (4) some
combination of the three. This study suggests that there may be
significant sources other than the traditional industrial processing
of perchlorate, and the distribution of perchlorate in ground water
is likely more widespread than previously suspected.

"The Origin of Naturally Occurring Perchlorate: The Role of
Atmospheric Processes," American Public Policy: An
Introduction, Eighth Edition

Lawrence Mayer, Professor in Political Science

Bio: Dr. Mayer is Professor in Political Science at Texas Tech
University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas. His
current research interests include party system change, especially
in the weakening of mainstream parties of the moderate left and
right, and the emergence of populist parties of identity. These
include nationalist parties of the extreme right as well as parties
of sub-cultural defense and other parties of identity that do not
classify on the left to right axis.

Abstact: American Public Policy: An Introduction is an introductory
undergraduate text that engages students' interest with its unique
emphasis on specific, substantive issues of public policy. This text
analyzes American public policies in a historical context that
allows students to evaluate, analyze, and debate whether established
policies are successful or if alternative policies could better
serve the American public. The discussion kindled by American Public
Policy educates students on the practical methods of public policy
analysis while allowing them to apply their knowledge to real life
policies.

"Sex Differences in the Neuroendocrine
Response to Short-Term Fasting in Rhesus Macaques"

Jacalyn McComb, Professor in Health, Exercise, and Sport
Sciences

Bio: Jacalyn J. McComb is a professor in the Department of Health
Exercise, and Sport Sciences at Texas Tech University. She is also
an adjunct professor in the Department of Physiology at Texas Tech
University Health Science Center. Her research collaborative efforts
are with Reid Norman, Chair of the Department of Pharmacology and
Neuroscience at TTUHSC and Anna Tacon in the Department of Health
Exercise, and Sport Sciences at TTU. Her research focus is stress
vulnerability and effective intervention treatments.

Abstact: When energy intake is restricted in mammals, there are
neuroendocrine adjustments in the secretion of reproductive and
metabolic hormones to reallocate energy for vital functions. In the
present study, we investigated whether there were differences in the
luteinising hormone (LH), growth hormone (GH) and cortisol responses
to a 48-h fast in adult gonad-intact male and female rhesus
mazaques.

"Meeting God in The Lion, The Witch, and
the Wardrobe: Christian Themes in C.S. Lewis's Book"

Sara McLaughlin, Instructor in English

Bio: Sara McLaughlin, Instructor in English at Texas Tech
University, is a contributing editor to the Lamp-Post of the
Southern California C.S. Lewis Society. She co-edited A Word Index
to the Poetry of C. S. Lewis (Locust Hill Press, 1988). Her book,
Meeting God in Silence (Tyndale, 1993), endorsed by Lewis's personal
secretary, Walter Hooper, was translated into Korean and published
in Seoul (Word of Life, 2000). McLaughlin's thesis was on the
Augustinian influence in the fiction of C. S. Lewis.

Abstact: With the release of the movie, The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe, the first of a seven book series entitled The Chronicles
of Narnia, by C. S. Lewis, a host of people are now interested in
these beloved classics. Sara McLaughlin's book, Meeting God in The
Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, correlates biblical themes and
symbols, especially some more obscure ones, to Lewis's work. Brought
to life in the fictitious land of Narnia are theological concepts
such as redemption, atonement, and resurrection. Lewis's lively
story telling catches readers off guard, and McLaughlin's book also
engages both seasoned readers of Lewis and newcomers to Narnia.

"The Effect of Model Similarity on
Girls' Motor Performance," Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 24
(2), April 2005

Bio: Dr. Karen S. Meaney is an Associate Professor in the Department
of Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences. She teaches undergraduate
and graduate courses in sport pedagogy. Her research focuses on
examining children 's motor skill learning and applying research to
enhance pedagogical practices.

Abstact: This investigation examined the effect of model similarity
on girls ' acquisition, retention, transfer, and transfer strategies
of a novel motor task. Forty girls (mean age = 10 years) were
randomly assigned to conditions in a 2 (model skill level) X 2
(model sex) factorial design using four treatment groups: (a) male
skilled, (b) male learning, (c) female skilled, and (d) female
learning. Quantitative data revelaed that participants observing a
female model or a learning model transferred significanlty more
learning strategies than did participants observing a male or
skilled model. Qualitative results underscored the need to include
models of similar sex, as well as learning models when instructing
girls in motor skills.